1000 Days of Motherhood

We’re delighted to report that the cholera epidemic that plagued Zambia earlier in the year is under control.  And the primary medium that the government used to communicate with rural populations about cholera was through radio. The restrictions that were placed on group gatherings have now been lifted.  This means that the 1000 Days of Motherhood listening groups are back in action.

With Mother’s Day in less than two weeks, now it the ideal time to donate to a rural mother’s group on a waiting list for a solar Lifeplayer pre-loaded with the full 26 episodes of maternal and child health content.  The series is called Bushes that Grow are the Future Forest. Phase 2 was recently completed with 13 new segments doubling the total. The title is a direct translation from a Zambian proverb and it follows Sister Loveness, a health worker, as she travels to local hospitals, villages and markets to combat chronic malnutrition by encouraging good infant feeding practices and addressing common barriers to breastfeeding. An episode also deals with preganacy, childbirth and breastfeeding if a mother is HIV positive.

The programs were created out of a need to reach women outside of community health centers. During the formative research (which was funded by USAID), it was discovered that community members regularly turned to radio stations for health information. Health workers realized that radio would allow them to communicate important infant feeding messages to a broad audience.  However, in rural areas women typically don’t own radios and can’t easily buy batteries to power them.

This is why the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) reached out to Lifeline Energy.  Our Lifeplayer MP3 are playing an important role in providing regular access to the Bushes that Grow segments.  Mothers prefer coming together and listening in a group as opposed to trying to listen on their own. 

Please help us support rural mother’s listening groups in Zambia and help reduce childhood stunting and improve maternal and child health during the first 1000 days from conception.  Your donation can be made in the name of your mother or a mother that you wish to honor. 

Dear Supporters

As we have previously noted, the latest deployment of Lifeplayer units to access the Bushes that Grow audio series was to the Eastern Province. Our partner, the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) of the Ministry of Health was unable to provide us much information at this point in time and there’s a good reason. Cholera. An estimated 3,000 people contracted the disease and 70 deaths have been reported nationwide so far.

 Since we last wrote, the cholera outbreak that had gripped Lusaka province spread to the Eastern Province. Consequently, we were advised to postpone our visit to the country.

Although less than 20 cases and one death were reported in Eastern, the government banned all gatherings of more than five people, including church services, weddings, concerts, and funerals without clearance from the Ministry of Health. This included the 1000 Days of Motherhood women’s listener groups.

However, it was reported that the radio feature on the Lifeplayer is being used to listen to updates on the outbreak, to encourage people to maintain high standards of personal hygiene and to keep rural communities regularly informed.

We hope that we’ll have more to report in our next update.  Luckily, the government appears to have the epidemic under control.

Once again, thank you for your support. The Lifeplayers are needed now more than ever to ensure that rural women have access not only to Bushes that Grow, but also to regular radio health updates. .